


melt your headaches, call it home

by mediocregrace



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alex Jones and Claire Novak are Siblings, Alternate Universe - Parents, Bakery Shop Owner Dean Winchester, Bisexual Castiel (Supernatural), Bisexual Dean Winchester, Blowjobs, Bobby Singer is Dean and Sam Winchester's Parent, Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love, Domestic Fluff, Frottage, Gay Parents, Homophobia, Jack Kline is a Winchester, Kid Fic, Librarian Castiel (Supernatural), Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Neurodivergent Claire Novak, Neurodivergent Jack Kline, Sam Winchester is Jack Kline's Parent, tw for mild religious homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:40:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28149231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mediocregrace/pseuds/mediocregrace
Summary: Cas was having an argument with their six-year-old, Claire over what she wanted to have for breakfast, “But Papa, I want to have pie for breakfast. Dad does it sometimes, you know he does.”“Sometimes grown-ups make bad decisions, Claire, even your dad,” Cas said with a heavy sigh, “You can have cereal or eggs. If you keep arguing about it, we’re not going over Uncle Sam’s this weekend.”Dean mock-gasped when he entered the room, “You hear that, squirt? You and your sister don’t want to miss your chance to see your cousin do you?”Claire shook her head furiously, and then turned back to Cas, “I’ll have eggs, Papa.”-Or, the one where Dean owns a bakery, Cas works at the library, and having two daughters is more than they bargained for, sometimes.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester
Comments: 9
Kudos: 83





	melt your headaches, call it home

**Author's Note:**

> Like everyone else, I'm suffering through post-finale depression due to ... *gestures vaguely* you know what happened with 15x20, so here I am with a mostly fluffy self-indulgent fic that completely disregards canon. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr @heterophobiclarry 
> 
> If anyone wants this in Spanish, I'll translate it but also I'm not expecting this to get a ton of hits so we'll see.

Dean groaned when the familiar tones of his alarm blared out, disrupting the peaceful atmosphere that filled his bedroom in the early hours of the morning. He slammed the snooze button and rolled over, curling around his husband. Cas stirred a bit, nuzzling into the warmth that Dean’s embrace provided.

By the time his third alarm went off, staying in bed was impossible. He knew that he had fifteen minutes at best to shower and get dressed before the kids would be up expecting breakfast. He crawled out of bed, pressing a kiss to his still-sleeping husband’s forehead and headed into the en-suite. 

Dean reveled in the near-silence of the shower, allowing the water to cascade down his body as he half-heartedly reviewed his plans for the day. He got out of the shower and toweled off quickly. He could hear the muffled sounds of Cas speaking to at least one of the kids. Dean dressed and shaved as quickly as he could, knowing what a lengthy process it was to dress and feed the kids alone. 

As it turned out, Cas was having an argument with their six-year-old, Claire over what she wanted to have for breakfast, “But Papa, I  _ want  _ to have pie for breakfast. Dad does it sometimes, you know he does.” 

“Sometimes grown-ups make bad decisions, Claire, even your dad,” Cas said with a heavy sigh, “You can have cereal or eggs. If you keep arguing about it, we’re not going over Uncle Sam’s this weekend.” 

Dean mock-gasped when he entered the room, “You hear that, squirt? You and your sister don’t want to miss your chance to see your cousin do you?”

Claire shook her head furiously, and then turned back to Cas, “I’ll have eggs, Papa.” 

Cas smiled and turned to the stove, "Why don’t you go get dressed while I make them?” 

She ran off to her room, and Dean sauntered over to Cas where he stood at the stove, pushing eggs around with a spatula. Dean wrapped his arms around Cas’ torso, kissing the exposed length of his neck, “Has Alex gotten up yet or do I need to go in?” 

Cas hummed, leaning further into Dean’s embrace “She’s dressed but protesting breakfast because she’s still mad that we can’t take her in to see the museum today.”

Dean let out a laugh, half happy that was so excited to see the art she had been learning about lately, half annoyed at having to try and fit it into his schedule, “She just has to wait one fucking day! There’s no way we have time to take her today. I blame you and Sam for making her into a geek.” 

With one last kiss to Cas’ neck, Dean grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl and headed into Alex’s room. He found her cross-legged on her bed, leafing through one of the art books she had checked out from the library. “Hey baby,” he said softly, ignoring the death glare she shot his way, “I pinky promise you that I will take you to the art museum on Saturday morning before we go to Uncle Sammy’s, okay?” he asked, extending his pinky towards her. 

Her glare softened, just slightly while she contemplated the agreement. She nodded, smiling as she linked her pinky with his, “You’re not allowed to break a pinky promise,” she said solemnly. 

“I wouldn’t dream of it, kiddo,” he said with a smile, “Now, you need to eat something before school, I can’t have you starving to death before our museum date.” 

She giggled and accepted the banana he had grabbed for her. When Dean returned to the kitchen, Alex in tow, Claire and Cas were seated at the table, animatedly discussing the plans for the weekend. 

“Do you think Auntie Eileen will want to see the new signs I learned?” Claire asked. 

“Of course,” Cas said with a sincere nod, “She’s very happy that you and Alex started taking those classes to learn more ASL.” 

Alex sat down at the table, peeling the banana that Dean had given her. Cas met Dean’s eyes over her head, and Dean nodded subtly to indicate that the crisis was averted. “Alex, honey, do you want some cereal or something?” Cas asked. 

“No, Papa, I packed cereal for my snack today,” she said, turning back to read her book while she ate the banana. 

Once breakfast was done, Cas and Dean shepherded the kids out to the Impala and drove the short distance to the school. Both men got out of the car with the girls when they arrived at the school, and walked them to the front door. 

“You two have a good day, okay?” Dean said, giving each girl a kiss on the head. Cas did the same as the girls giggled. 

They stayed to watch as their daughters walked inside the school, and then walked back to the car, hands intertwined. “They’re going to lose their shit when they find out that Eileen is pregnant,” Dean said with a smile.

  
Cas let out a laugh, “I’m so glad they love Jack. I don’t know what we would’ve done if the kids didn’t get along.” 

“It’s easy enough to hang out with someone you don’t like,” Dean said with a smirk, “Hell I’m married to someone I don’t like and we make it work.” 

Cas shoved him playfully, “You’re an asshole, you know that?” 

Dean hummed, “Maybe, but you love me anyway.” He looked at the clock when they got into the car, “You have a little bit of time before you have to be at the library. Do you want to come in and get some coffee or something?”

“You know me so well,” Cas replied happily as he buckled his seatbelt.

They sat in companionable silence as Dean drove them to the bakery that he owned and operated with his sister-in-law Eileen. Dean fumbled with the keys for a moment and then unlocked the front door, flipping on the lights. Cas walked around, taking the chairs down while Dean started up the espresso machine. 

“Do you think we could con Sam and Eileen into taking the girls for a few hours without us tomorrow? We could use some alone time” Dean yelled from behind the counter. 

Cas chuckled from the table he selected next to the window, “We had sex  _ twice _ last week, we’ve already exceeded our monthly limit.” 

“God,” Dean said, walking towards him with two coffee cups balanced precariously in one hand, and a plate of pastries in the other, “How long until they’re 18 and out of the house, again?”

Cas accepted one of the coffee cups gratefully, “Hey, we only have 10 years to wait on Alex.” 

Before long, Eileen walked through the front door, signing hello to both of them. She put the first batch of pastries and breads in the oven, made herself a coffee and then came to sit with them. “When are you guys coming tomorrow?” she signed. 

“Alex really wants to go to the art museum and I promised I’d take her tomorrow morning,” Dean signed in reply, “We’ll probably be over by noon if that works for you and Sam.” 

Cas looked down at his phone, “Oh, fuck,” he said as he got up, “I need to go,”. He signed goodbye to Eileen and then pulled Dean in for a kiss. Eileen got to work unloading the trays of bread and pastries from their ovens, while Dean cleaned up the dishes they had dirtied. 

Before long, the bakery was bustling. It had gained popularity in the past few years due to it being known as one of the most disability-friendly establishments in the area. With the fact that most of the employees themselves had disabilities, and all employees were fluent in ASL, they did everything they could to be accessible to a diverse range of people. 

In the lull between customers, Dean turned to Eileen, “Does Jack know that he’s getting another sibling yet?” he signed. 

“Not yet,” she signed in reply, “Sam and I thought that it would be fun to tell him when the girls are over tomorrow.” 

-

Cas enjoyed his work at the library, even though the family didn’t actually need his income to stay afloat - the bakery was doing far better than either he or Dean had predicted it would all those years ago when they had sat down with Sam and Eileen to crunch the numbers and figure out if it would be a viable business. 

Cas found solace in the monotony of his job, making small talk, checking books in and out, reshelving them, periodically taking unpopular books out of circulation so that he could donate them to the local thrift shop. In his youth, he had been plagued with the pressure to overachieve, a burden placed on him by his overbearing parents. They had wanted him to go to law school after he earned his bachelor’s in history, and had been furious when he had chosen to take some time off and marry his college boyfriend instead. Nearly ten years later, he knew that he was far happier with his life than he would’ve been if he followed his parents’ wishes. 

When his lunch break rolled around, he said goodbye to his coworker Charlie, and headed down the street to the bakery. Dean was talking animatedly with one of his regulars when Cas walked through the door. When he was done with his customer, Dean signed something Cas couldn’t quite make out to Eileen, and hopped the counter. 

“Heya, sunshine,” Dean said as he made his way over to Cas, “How’s your day been so far?” 

Cas leaned up, planting a kiss on Dean’s cheek, “It’s been pretty slow but not too bad, what about you guys?” 

Dean looked over his shoulder at Eileen, who was busy making a mocha for the customer that stood before her, “I guess Sammy and Eileen haven’t told Jack yet,” he turned to face Cas fully, “They wanted to wait until Claire and Alex could hear too.” 

Cas beamed, “They’re going to be so excited, I can’t wait. Do you know if they’ve told Bobby and Ellen yet?” 

“I don’t know,” Dean said, “God, Bobby’s going to be so excited to be a grandpa.” 

Cas smiled as he thought of Sam and Dean’s adoptive parents, who had taken him in after their mother died and their father had taken to neglecting and abusing them. As a long-time friend of their mother’s, Bobby and his wife Ellen had stepped up to take care of them. They made the adoption official after John had died in a drunk driving incident, and Bobby and Ellen gave Sam and Dean the lives that they deserved, as well as a younger sister. 

Cas and Dean chatted over sandwiches for the duration of his lunch break, and then Cas headed back to the library with a few pastries and a coffee for Charlie.

Charlie groaned as she bit into one of Dean’s chocolate napolitanas, “Are you  _ sure  _ I can’t marry him?” she asked Cas with a laugh. 

“First of all, you’re a lesbian,” he said, mock glaring at her, “second of all, we have two children together so that would present a difficulty.” 

“So, you’re saying there’s a chance,” she said, raising her eyebrows comedically. They both burst into laughter, grateful that the library was empty of any patrons that would have been disturbed by the amount of noise they were making. 

-

Dean finished up for the day at the bakery, leaving Eileen to close up because he had opened. He sat in the Impala and listened to music while waiting for Cas to get off his shift at the library so that they could pick the kids up together. 

Cas was red-faced and swearing when he flung open the passenger door. “Bad day, baby?” Dean asked once Cas had thrown himself into the passenger seat. 

“I fucking hate this town, sometimes.” Cas spat out, buckling his seat belt. “How much time do we have before we need to get the kids? I need to calm down, I don’t want them to see me like this.” 

Dean glanced at the clock and then nodded, “We have like, half an hour. What happened?” 

Cas leaned back in the passenger seat, closing his eyes, “Can we get milkshakes? It was that kind of day.” 

Dean laughed, patting Cas’ thigh as he pulled out of the parking spot, “Okay, but only if you tell me what happened so I know if I need to kick someone’s ass.” 

Cas launched into a profanity-laden rant about a homophobic woman who had come into the library to complain about their selection of lgbt books, not knowing that both Charlie and Cas were queer. Upon finding out that she was speaking to two of the people at the focal point of her anger, she had resorted to threats. 

Dean paused at the drive-through to order their milkshakes, and one for each of the kids. After he paid and received the milkshakes, he turned to Cas, “Are you going to be okay?” 

Cas nodded, slurping at the milkshake in his hand, “Gabe banned her, I don’t think she’s much of a threat beyond being incredibly rude.” 

Dean pulled into the pickup line at the elementary school, “Do you know her name? Anything else about her?” 

Cas eyed the school, wanting to ensure that his daughters wouldn’t hear the details of the situation, “Her name is Naomi. I think she works at one of the dental clinics around here, and I know that both of her kids go to school here. It’s… not ideal,” he admitted. 

Before Dean could reply, he saw Claire and Alex headed for the car, “We’ll figure it out later, don’t worry.” 

Cas forced a smile just in time for the girls to pile into the car, “Hello my loves,” he said, handing each of them their milkshake after he saw that they had buckled their seatbelts, “I had a bad day so we’re having milkshakes for snack today.” 

The girls grabbed their milkshakes excitedly. Dean pulled out of the parking lot, and for a few moments, the only sounds were the Impala’s blinkers, and unrestrained slurping of milkshakes until Claire spoke up, “Why did you have a bad day, Papa? Was Daddy mean to you?” she asked with wide eyes. 

Cas let out a genuine laugh, “No, baby, Daddy helped make my day better. I just had a long day at work. I’d much rather spend the day with you, and Alex and Daddy than hang out in the library sometimes.” 

Satisfied with that answer, Claire went back to her milkshake. 

-

Once the kids were finally down for the night, Dean waited in bed to discuss the day’s events with Cas, who was finishing up in the shower. He sent a text to Charlie just to check up on her, knowing that she had been impacted by the homophobic experience as well. 

_ Hey, you doing okay? Cas told me you two had a shitty day. _

**I’m alright, worried about the impact on the kids though.**

Dean narrowed his eyes in confusion,  _ What do you mean?  _

**Just, considering that her daughter Anna is in Alex’s class. I think she assumed Cas was a single dad.**

Dean didn’t know how to respond to that, or the fact that Cas hadn’t told him the full story.  _ We’ll figure it out. Have a good night, Charlie.  _

Cas walked out of the en-suite rubbing a towel over his hair, oblivious to the conversation Dean had been having with Charlie. Dean cleared his throat, “You didn’t tell me the full story, did you?” 

Cas froze, confused before a look of understanding crossed his face, “Charlie talked to you?” when Dean nodded, he continued, “I didn’t… I knew that her daughter was in Alex’s class. We had talked about the girls a few times before. She asked me if I would be comfortable with my daughter being exposed to lgbt media and I… told her that if Alex was at risk of being turned gay by exposure, that my husband and I probably would’ve converted her already. I know I should’ve just left it but -” he was cut off by Dean’s outburst of laughter. 

“I would’ve reacted the same way, baby, it’s okay,” Dean said once he had composed himself, “Why didn’t you just tell me that?” 

Cas shrugged, “I’ve been worried about… our impact on the girls’ social lives, I guess.” 

Dean sat up with furrowed brows, “What do you mean?” 

Cas threw the towel into the hamper and climbed into bed, “Do you know any other gay parents here? I don’t. I’m just afraid that … I don’t want the girls to be socially excluded because of us, you know?”

Dean wrapped his arms around Cas from behind, and they sat in silence for a few moments, before Dean spoke up, “If a problem comes up, you and I will figure it out,” he kissed Cas’ bare shoulder and up the side of his neck, “But for now, the girls are asleep and we all get to sleep in tomorrow so, what do you say?” 

Cas turned his head just slightly so that he could look at Dean’s face, “Are you propositioning me, Mr. Winchester?” 

Dean let out a breathy laugh, “I believe I am, Mr. Winchester.” Cas turned fully at that, capturing Dean’s mouth in a frantic kiss. 

“Well, if you insist…” Cas muttered between kisses, shifting so that he was straddling Dean’s lap. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, grinding into each other shamelessly. Panting and low moans permeated the otherwise-silent bedroom. Cas slipped off the boxers he had put on just moments earlier while Dean occupied himself by sucking a bruise onto the junction of Cas’ neck and shoulder. 

Breathing heavily, Dean pulled away, looking at the clock on their bedside table, “How far do you want to go tonight?” 

“I don’t think we have time to fuck, but handjobs or blowjobs would be good if you’re in the mood,” Cas replied, toying with the waistband of Dean’s sweats.

Dean slid his pants off, letting his hard cock spring free, “Baby, if I ever say no to one of your blowjobs, you need to take me out. I’ve been body-snatched or something.”

Dean may have continued rambling on, but Cas wasn’t paying much attention as he plunged his mouth down on Dean’s cock. He teased at the slit with the tip of his tongue, and sucked at the head in a way that had Dean nearly whimpering. Cas looked up at his husband through his eyelashes, slurping obscenely. Dean grabbed a fistful of Cas’ hair, fighting against the animalistic instinct to thrust down the other man’s throat. 

“Cas,” Dean said, voice strained, “Pull off for a second, I want to try something.” Cas obeyed, allowing Dean to manhandle him so that Cas was once again straddling him. Once Cas was in the correct position, Dean grabbed both of their cocks, jerking them together with the help of precum and spit. Cas tilted his head back and let out a deep groan, “Fuck, Dean,” 

Cas surged forward, connecting their lips once more while Dean kept stroking their cocks together with a consistent rhythm. Aided by the blowjob a few minutes earlier, Dean was the first to spill over, painting his stomach and chest with streaks of cum. Cas’ eyes darkened and he leaned down, licking every last trace from Dean’s body. 

“Give me your cock, Cas,” Dean said hungrily, “I want you to finish in my mouth.” 

Cas didn’t have to be told twice, kneeling in a way that his cock was easily accessible to Dean’s mouth. Dean swallowed him to the root in a practiced motion, causing Cas to grunt and grip the headboard so he didn’t fall over. Dean bobbed his head up and down, swirling his tongue around his husband’s slit relentlessly. 

“Dean” Cas said, voice gravelly, “I’m going to-”

Dean gripped Cas’ hips, ensuring that he didn’t pull out. With a grunt, he spilled down Dean’s throat. Cas fell back on his knees, breathing hard. When he was confident he could stand up, he got off the bed and held out a hand toward Dean, “We need to go brush our teeth.” 

Dean sighed and nodded, accepting the hand extended toward him. 

-

As it turned out, the art museum was  _ way  _ cooler than Dean anticipated. He found himself getting lost in the paintings displayed, overwhelmed by their age and enormity. He caught Cas smirking at him a few times, but the two of them didn’t have time to talk, as Alex was leading Dean around the museum so that she could tell him about her favorite paintings, while Cas tried his best to keep Claire entertained. 

By the time noon was near, they had completed the entire museum, and the kids were starving. The four of them piled into the Impala and headed to Sam and Eileen’s. Despite just having seen Jack at school on Friday, the girls were babbling with excitement about being able to spend time with their cousin, who was perfectly situated between them at age 7, one year older than Claire, and one year younger than Alex. 

Sam, Eileen and Jack were already out in the yard when the Impala pulled up. Sam waved at them from his position by the barbecue, as Eileen and Jack headed to the gate to greet everyone. As soon as the gate opened, Jack surged forward to hug his cousins, and then his uncles. The three kids ran off already discussing the best places to look in the yard to catch frogs, as Cas, Dean and Eileen looked on fondly. 

“When are Bobby and Ellen getting in?” Dean signed to Eileen. 

“They should be here pretty soon,” she signed in reply, and headed off towards Sam, beckoning for them to follow. 

Once they were close enough to the barbecue, Sam and Eileen traded places so that Sam could greet Cas and Dean, “How was your week, guys?” Sam asked, giving each of them a crushing hug, “Anything exciting happen?” 

Dean and Cas exchanged a look, “There was… an incident,” Cas started, before Dean took over. 

“Yeah, some homophobic asshole threatened Cas and now he’s afraid the kids are going to pay for it.”

“What the fuck?” Sam said, beckoning for Eileen to come over. She made sure that the food on the grill wasn’t going to go up in flames, and then she made her way over. Sam filled her in quickly, and then turned back to Dean and Cas for the rest of the context. Cas launched into the full explanation, “And unfortunately, her daughter Anna is in Alex’s class. She and I have talked about the kids a fair amount of times and I guess it just never registered for her that I have a husband.” 

“It’s the Miltons, right?” Eileen asked, “The other daughter Haley is in Jack’s class.” 

Cas nodded, and Eileen continued, “I’ll let you know if we find out anything. If they’re going to try and pull any shit, we won’t put up with it.” 

As if on cue, Bobby and Ellen’s truck pulled up, causing the kids to go running. A chorus of “grandma”, “grandpa”, and “Auntie Jo” rang out. Before long, everyone was seated at the table, enjoying burgers and hot dogs and catching up on things missed since the last time that all of them had been together. 

“So, Joanna Beth,” Ellen started, “When are you going to give us another grandbaby? I believe you’re next in line.”

“I don’t know, mom,” Jo replied, blushing furiously. Noticing her discomfort, Dean kicked Sam’s shin under the table.

“Actually, uh, Ellen,” Sam started out, turning to look at Eileen for a moment, “We found out recently that we’re going to be having another baby. Jack is going to be a big brother.” 

Bobby and Ellen started rambling excitedly among themselves, pausing momentarily to congratulate the couple. Dean turned to his girls, “You hear that, my loves? You’re going to have another cousin in a couple of months! What do you think?”

“Is the baby going to want to hang out with us and Jack?” Claire asked innocently.

Cas let out a laugh, “I’m sure the baby will love to, honey.” 

-

Cas and Dean were used to Claire’s occasional bad days. After her ADHD diagnosis, they had started her on a routine which included medication and weekly visits with a child therapist. Even then, it wasn’t unheard of for her to leave after school in a state of dismay, or for them to get a phone call that she had done something that school administration deemed punishable, and that they needed to come get her. 

They were not used to that type of situation with Alex, so when Dean received a call from the school nearly two weeks after the barbecue, regarding Alex, he ensured that Eileen could cover for him, and he left for the library immediately. Cas told his boss that it was an emergency, and he rushed out with Dean. 

When they got into the school, Alex was seated in the office crying. Cas crouched down in front of her while Dean sought out somebody who could give them some answers. 

“What happened, baby?” Cas asked, one hand on her knee, the other on her cheek. She sniffled, eyes trained on the ground. Before she could answer, Dean had returned with the principal. 

“I think I can answer that for you,” the principal said, “She decided that it was appropriate to punch another student in the face because she didn’t like what the other student said.” 

Dean and Cas both looked at their daughter in shock, knowing that she was usually incredibly patient, with both her younger sister and cousin, and that she was rarely ever violent. The principal’s remark set her off. 

“She said my papa and my daddy were going to Hell because God hates them!” she yelled. 

“That doesn’t mean you’re allowed to hit her,” the principal said, glaring at her, “You could’ve talked to your teacher about it.” 

Red-faced and furious, she kept yelling, “She has been saying it all week and my teacher told me not to argue with people when I told her! She didn’t care, and when I told you yesterday, you didn’t care!”

Cas turned to glare at the principal, “Am I understanding this correctly? Our child has reported this multiple times, and nobody did anything?” 

Dean folded his arms, standing closer to Alex protectively. The principal looked between the two men, “It’s just harmless kids’ stuff, the other student didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Let me get one thing straight, pal,” Dean said gruffly, “If someone is harassing  _ either _ of our girls, you get on the phone and you call my husband or I the second you hear about it.”

Cas was rubbing Alex’s back as she calmed down following her outburst, but she still sniffled. Dean took a look at her and then continued speaking, “We will speak to her about making sure that she doesn’t hit people, but it sounds like she was repeatedly provoked and reacted in the only way that worked, considering that none of the adults whose job it is to protect her from bullying and harassment could be bothered to do anything.” 

The principal stammered, “We can’t possibly make phone calls any time a student tells us that someone was mean to them -” 

“You manage to pick up the phone just fine every time you need to tell us that our other daughter - who is on an IEP for her diagnosed learning disability - acts slightly out of line. I think you’ll be fine,” Cas replied curtly.

Dean walked over to the secretary who had clearly been listening to the whole situation go down, “Hi, can you go ahead and excuse our other daughter Claire Winchester? She’s going to be gone for the rest of the day.” 

The secretary made a phone call, and before long, Claire was running down the hall. “Daddy? Papa? Why are you here so early?” 

Cas smiled, “We have some things we need to talk about as a family,” he replied.

-

The family of four sat around a table at McDonalds. Alex picked at her Happy Meal, while Claire absolutely devoured hers. 

“Am I in trouble?” Alex said, looking down at the table.

“No, baby,” Cas said, “But your daddy and I do want to know why you didn’t tell us about what was happening.”

Alex mumbled something, fiddling with the paper ketchup cup in front of her. 

“We can’t hear you,” Dean said softly, “It’s okay, you can tell us.”

She looked up, eyes shining with tears, “It was mean and I wanted to protect you because I didn’t want your feelings to be hurt.”

Cas and Dean shared a look, matching looks of devastation on their faces. Dean swallowed the lump in his throat first and took a deep breath, “You can  _ always  _ tell us when something is wrong, even if you think it’ll hurt our feelings. It’s our job to protect you. Do you understand why Anna said that about us?” 

Alex furrowed her brows, “Not really, I don’t know why God would hate you. I didn’t even think God was real.” 

Both Cas and Dean allowed themselves a laugh at the latter part of her statement. After an unspoken conversation in the eye contact that Cas and Dean held, Cas drew the metaphorical short straw. “There are some people out there who… you know how Daddy and I are both boys?” he paused, waiting for her to nod, “Some people think that two boys- or two girls- shouldn’t be allowed to marry each other.”

Claire, who had been preoccupied with her french fries, spoke up, “But you and Daddy are in love. You  _ have _ to be married.” 

“I agree,” said Cas, “And marrying your daddy was one of the best days of my life, and I wouldn’t trade being married to him for anything in the world. That doesn’t mean everyone feels like that, though. You know how Bobby and Ellen are Dean, Uncle Sam and Auntie Jo’s parents?”

The girls nodded, “I have parents too, but when I told them I was going to marry your daddy, they didn’t want to be around me anymore. There are people who are like that, and for the most part, we just have to ignore it because it’s not our job to change their minds. That is their responsibility.”

Dean spoke up, “So if you hear from someone that God hates us, or that we’re going to Hell… they’re wrong. We love each other, we love you, and that’s all that matters.”

-

Once they had gotten home, taken care of dinner and finished homework with the kids, Cas hurried off to take a shower, while Dean tucked the girls in bed. He read a story to Claire, smirking as she nodded off near the end. He knew he didn’t have many years of that response left, so he enjoyed his ability to lull her to sleep while it lasted. He kissed her forehead and then went in to check up on Alex.

Alex wasn’t as easy to get to bed. She was half-heartedly leafing through a new library book when Dean pushed the door open. 

“How are you feeling, baby?” he asked, startling her a bit. 

Alex pursed her lips momentarily, “I still want to punch Anna in the face.” 

Dean let out a laugh before composing himself, briefly glad Cas wasn’t there to reprimand him for setting a bad example, “It’s okay to want that, but you can’t ever do it again. There are going to be a lot of people that you’ll come across in life who are just mean, and yeah, maybe they deserve to be punched in the face for being mean, but it’s not worth getting in trouble for.” 

“Haley is mean too, you know,” she replied matter-of-factly, “She said Jack was stupid and weird at recess this week. It made him cry so Claire and I had to make him feel better. I don’t think their mama is very nice.” 

Dean didn’t know how to respond to that, “I’m very glad that you and your sister were there for Jack. He’s lucky that he has cousins like you.”

Alex nodded, eyes blinking sleepily, “I won’t let anyone be mean to him or Claire. That’s what family is for.” 

He kissed her forehead, “I’m proud of you, kiddo, but no more punching. If something happens, I want you to tell me and Papa.” 

“Okay Daddy,” she said, eyes slipping closed. 

By the time Dean got back to his bedroom, Cas was already splayed out on the bed, scrolling on his phone. “Kids are down,” Dean said, shucking off his jeans and t-shirt. 

Cas remained silent, but locked his phone and set it on the nightstand. Dean crawled into the bed, looking at Cas with worry, “Are you still upset about today?” 

Cas nodded with a sigh, turning to look at Dean. His eyes were rimmed with red, so Dean surged forward to engulf him in a hug. Cas drew in a shaky breath and tried to speak, slightly muffled by his position against Dean’s chest, “I just -”

His shoulders shook as he cried, and Dean rocked him back and forth, rubbing circles on his back. When Cas was ready, he lifted his head. The expression on his face shattered Dean’s heart. 

“I’m sorry,” Cas said with a sniffle, “I just… I know we talked about it when they were babies, I know we prepared for this… it just hit me really hard this time, I’m sorry that you have to deal with me being a wreck while trying to help them too.” 

“Baby, no,” Dean said, cupping Cas’ face with one of his hands, “It’s okay, I’m here for you however you need. I always have enough energy for my baby.” 

Cas sighed, “I feel like it’s my fault that Alex got in trouble and now our kids are fucking traumatized because they think we’re going to Hell.” 

Dean shook his head, “How would anything be your fault? You didn’t force either of us to be bisexual, last time I checked.” 

At that, Cas let out a wet laugh, “Not that part. That part, I’m a big fan of,” he said, reaching up to card his fingers through Dean’s hair, “I shouldn’t have said anything to Naomi.” 

“No,” Dean said as he laid down on the bed fully, dragging Cas down with him, “It’s not like we hide the fact that we’re gay parents, and we shouldn’t have to. To be honest, I’m surprised that it took until now for us to experience something big like this. If it wasn’t Naomi, it would’ve been someone else. This is not our fault, it’s not my fault, it’s not your fault.” 

“I don’t know what I would do without you,” Cas said, leaning in to kiss Dean soundly, “I could never do this whole parent thing without you by my side.”

Cas and Dean fell asleep shortly after, curled up together like their lives depended on it. 

-

Dean sat in a booth at the local diner, nursing a beer while he waited for Sam to join him for their weekly brother lunch. While they both thoroughly enjoyed the additions to their family, in the form of spouses and children, they found it was good for their relationship to take time for just themselves, as well. 

Sam slid into the booth with an apologetic look, “Sorry I’m late, Jack would  _ not  _ come inside, so Eileen and I had to chase him around outside for like, 20 minutes.”

Dean let out a laugh, “He really is your kid, huh?” 

Sam mock-glared at him, “Oh, fuck off.” 

When the waitress returned, they ordered burgers and a beer for Sam, and returned to idle chat about their lives. 

“How has that whole thing with Naomi been going?” Sam asked offhandedly 

Dean sighed, rolling his eyes, “Her kid, Anna told Alex that Cas and I were going to Hell because God hates us, and so Alex punched her in the face. To be fair, Alex had been reporting the harassment to her teacher and the principal and nobody did anything so I guess she just snapped.”

“That’s my girl,” Sam said with a chuckle, “I mean of course she shouldn’t be hitting people but, if the school wasn’t going to do anything…” 

“That’s what I said. I told the principal that if literally  _ anything  _ happens with either of the girls, I better get a fucking phone call about it as soon as it happens. They manage to call every time Claire gets slightly frustrated so.... By the way, Alex was telling me that their other girl, Haley was bullying Jack, have you heard anything about that?” 

Sam was taken aback momentarily, “No, he hasn’t said anything about that, what happened?” 

They paused their conversation briefly when the waitress set burgers and a beer for Sam in front of them. 

“If it helps, Alex is ready to beat the shit out of both of them, so I think Jack is doing okay. She told me that Haley told Jack he was ‘stupid and weird’, and made him cry at recess, so she and Claire hung out with him and made him feel better.” 

“Kids are fucking mean,” Sam said, chewing on a french fry, “Why don’t I remember this shit?” 

Dean let out a laugh, “Because I beat the shit out of anyone who looked at you wrong, and eventually they stopped trying.” 

“Jack might be my son… but Alex is  _ clearly _ your daughter.” 

-

Cas and Dean picked up Jack after school, in addition to their girls. Sam and Eileen had an appointment with the ob-gyn, and then had plans to take a much-needed weekend away, leaving Jack with his uncles and cousins for an extended sleepover. 

The three kids bounced excitedly in the backseat of the Impala and Dean couldn’t help but grin. When he pulled up and let them into the house, they were off like a shot into one of the girls’ bedrooms, excited to play some combination of Barbies and Power Rangers. Trusting them not to get into too much trouble, Dean and Cas settled down together on the couch to catch up on one of their favorite baking programs. 

“Is there anything specific you want to do with the kids this weekend?” Dean asked, turning to face Cas.

“I was thinking I’d take them out tonight or tomorrow night to look at constellations,” Cas said, “I know that, at the very least, Jack would like that.”

Jack and Cas shared something special. Not everybody understood Jack’s intense hyper-fixated interests, or the times where he went completely silent, but Cas seemed to get him. His parents and uncles assumed that one day, Jack would have a diagnosis to explain the ways that he acted, but for the time being, they were okay with learning to meet him where he was at, and to do the best they could for him. 

They were grateful when he had gotten a little older and grew incredibly fond of Uncle Cas, who was very willing to sit on the ground with him and talk about dinosaurs, or outer space, or whatever concept fascinated Jack the most at any given time. With his history degree and experience as a librarian, he had no shortage of information to fascinate Jack. 

Before too long, the kids were asking for dinner, so Cas got busy in the kitchen making a dinner of macaroni and cheese with a side of broccoli that he hoped he could con at least one of the three children into eating. Once everyone was seated with a plate in front of them, Dean asked the kids about their plans for the weekend, “Is there anything special you guys want to do since we get to be together for the whole weekend?”

“We  _ have  _ to watch Scooby Doo,” Claire said emphatically, “Jack has  _ never _ seen it.”

Dean mock-gasped, “Well, we can’t have that! Why don’t you and Alex pick a good one to show him tonight? We can watch it right after dinner, and then when it gets dark outside, Papa has some plans for us.” 

All three kids turned to Cas, who explained to them that some of his favorite constellations were going to be visible, and since the sky was supposed to be relatively clear, it was probably the best night to do it. After dinner, Dean set the kids up with a Scooby Doo movie on Netflix, and then headed back to the kitchen to help Cas get the dishes cleaned up.

He smiled at the sight of his husband, hunched over the sink, moving his hips to the beat of whatever random pop song blared from the speakers of his iPhone as he washed the plates in the sink. Dean couldn’t help himself as he walked over and wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist, hooking his chin over Cas’ shoulder. 

Cas hummed, leaning into the contact for a moment, before turning around to face Dean. Dean wiggled his eyebrows at their position, but Cas rolled his eyes good-naturedly, “Why don’t you make some hot chocolate for all of us while I finish up the dishes.” 

Dean leaned forward to capture Cas in a brief kiss, and the set out to do as his husband asked of him. He stirred the milk he was warming on the stove, listening carefully to make sure that the kids in the living room were doing okay. 

When Cas had finished with the dishes, he popped in to check on the kids, and then set about gathering up blankets so that they would all be comfortable piled in the bed of their less-used truck, which primarily existed for the times where Dean needed to transport things to and from the bakery that the Impala couldn't handle. 

-

Dean didn’t know exactly where Cas wanted to go for optimal viewing, so he opted to let Cas drive, once they had bundled all the kids into the cab of the truck. One of Dean’s kid-friendly playlists emanated from the speakers while the kids chatted animatedly from the back. Dean stared out the window contemplatively, watching as the city lights gave way to broad expanses of nothingness. 

Eventually, Cas found the right place to pull off. Once the car was stopped, Cas arranged the blankets in the truck bed, and Dean lifted the kids into it one by one. As everyone got settled, Cas did his best to point out the constellations that he deemed important, fielding Jack’s seemingly endless questions with ease. 

Alex and Claire weren’t as into it as Jack was, but they enjoyed being up late and drinking hot chocolate with their family anyway. One by one, each of the kids drifted off to sleep under the stars, which spurred Dean and Cas to load them back into the car so that they could go home. 

They talked quietly on the way home, not bothering to turn the radio. Cas drove the truck one-handed, allowing his other hand to grip Dean’s thigh, “I fucking love our family,” he said, “I wouldn’t trade this for the world.” 

Dean hummed, “We should get a dog.” 

Cas let out an unrestrained laugh, and then quickly looked back to make sure he hadn’t woken any of the kids - he hadn’t. “Is this something you’ve been thinking about or-”

“I’ve been thinking about it since we found out about the baby,” Dean explained, “I don’t think we should have another kid, but… I think a dog would be good for us.” 

Cas laughed again, patting Dean’s thigh, “Okay, baby, let’s get a dog.”

Dean launched into an explanation of the various dog breeds he’d been researching, and which nearby shelters had dogs that he was interested in, and Cas tuned out, just for a moment, to thank whatever power was out there that he had been lucky enough to find this man, to build this family with him. 

-


End file.
